Scandalmonger

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who spreads rumors or gossip, especially sensational or damaging stories about others, often for personal gain or attention
2. a person who deliberately fabricates and disseminates damaging rumors or sensational stories to harm reputations or gain notoriety
3. someone who actively spreads inflammatory gossip or unverified accusations with the intent to damage others' standing and create controversy

Etymology: "Scandalmonger" is a plain compound, built from "scandal" and "monger." The first part traces back through Old French and Latin to Greek "skandalon," a snare or stumbling block, and came to mean a disgraceful action or the damage it does to reputation. The second part, "monger," is an Old English word for a dealer or trader, as in "fishmonger" or "ironmonger," and it carried the sense of someone who peddles a commodity. Put together, the compound describes a dealer in scandal: someone who keeps circulating disgrace the way a shopkeeper keeps stock on the shelves. The "-monger" element has been used this way for centuries, and by the time "scandalmonger" was formed it was already flexible enough to attach to a range of trades and vices.

Synonyms: gossipmonger, tattler